Pickling Problems (2154)

There are many possible causes for poor-quality homemade pickles. If you have difficulty getting good results, the following list may help you identify the reasons.

Soft pickles may be the result of several things. The most common cause is failure to process the pickles after you pack them into jars. Many old recipes omit this essential step, and simply say "Pack in jars and seal". After you fill and cap jars, you should process all pickles for at least 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath canner. This destroys yeasts and molds that can eventually grow and spoil the pickles. Although processing for too long can overcook the pickles and make them soft, a 10-minute processing step will help prevent softening.

Fermented pickles will usually be softer than fresh-pack pickles, but if fermented ones become too soft you probably did not remove all cucumber blossoms before you started to brine the cucumbers. Or, you may not have removed all the scum from the top of the brine as the cucumbers fermented.

Shriveling is another common problem. This happens when you put the cucumber in too strong a vinegar or vinegar–sugar solution. Cucumbers that are not freshly harvested are more likely to shrivel and become hollow, as are cucumbers you harvest in very hot dry weather. Quick handling will help prevent shriveling.

Another way to prevent shriveling is to soak the raw cucumbers in a salt solution for a few hours before you put them in a vinegar solution. This firms the fragile tissues and helps the cells withstand the pickling solution without collapsing. When you make very sweet pickles, you often need to brine the cucumbers for several days and increase the sugar–vinegar concentration gradually to prevent shriveling.

Color loss, particularly in fresh-pack dill pickles, usually happens if you use a very diluted vinegar solution. For this kind of pickle, there should be at least one part vinegar to every three parts water. Some old pickle recipes are much more diluted. Do not eat pickles that are extremely soft, slippery, moldy or have off-odors. If you consistently have problems with a particular recipe, do not use it again. Get an up-to-date reliable instruction book.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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